The Importance of Self-Care

Self-care is becoming the new buzz word in the world of wellness. What is self-care and why is it so important?

Self- care is simply you taking care of yourself. One of the things that I appreciate about being challenged with my health is that I have a great appreciation for my body. I understand that when my body fails me, that I am greatly limited with what I can do and then other desires may not be able to be fulfilled.

Our bodies need to be cared for. They need good food, exercise, water and rest. And taking good care of our bodies require a commitment of time and energy. Rather than driving though a fast food restaurant, are you willing to commit the time and energy to shop for healthy food and cook it? Are you willing to take time to move and exercise your body on a regular basis? Are you willing to give your body 8 hours of rest every night?

Are you willing to sit quietly for 15-20 minutes each day to allow your mind and nervous system to unwind and reconnect with your divine essence?

Are you willing to spend quality time with your loved ones? Do you have a date night with your spouse, go to your children’s events? Do you play with your kids? Do you take time to stop and check in with your partner or children when they are experiencing difficulties in their lives . . . or are you running so fast that you don’t even notice?

Are you willing to spend quality time with yourself? Perhaps journaling or engaging in self-inquiry? Take a warm bath? Watch the sun set?

These are the kind of things that we can do that increases the quality of our lives in each moment. But they also increase the quality of our lives into our old age and can add years to our life. We get so caught up in keeping up with society and the latest greatest external event or product that we miss the beauty of living simply and simply living.

Self-care is about paying attention to the things that reconnect us to our self and treating our self with love, compassion, and respect. It is about stopping to recharge your battery before it runs down. Self-care is a tangible way to say to yourself, “I LOVE YOU, YOU ARE IMPORTANT.” Wouldn’t you like to hear that from someone, so why not say it to yourself by making YOU a priority in your own life. And the better you take care of yourself, you will have more to give to your loved ones.

This month, notice where you are with self-care. Do you take care of yourself, or are you to busy taking care of everyone else, from your family to your boss to your coworkers or friends? Is there one thing that you can add to your life that you do just for you? What would that be for you? Find it and then implement it into your life. Let me know how it goes.